Are you in Ireland now, so that you could look at the label to check the ingredients? You can buy malted wheat flakes from King Arthur Flour online, and buy barley malt extract in health food stores in health food stores.

*Stir the dried yeast and sugar into the water and leave until frothy, or blend the fresh yeast with water, or mix the easy blend yeast with the flour.

* Place the flour and salt in a bowl, add the sultanas.

* Warm the malt, treacle, margarine and sugar until just melted and the sugar dissolved, and stir into the flour with the yeast liquid. (Note: if using instant yeast add to dry flour and warm the water with the malt mixture).

* Mix to a soft dough.

* Turn onto a floured surface and knead until no longer sticky (about four minutes), adding more flour if necessary.

* Shape and place the malt loaf in a greased 500g (1lb) loaf tin. Cover the dough and leave to prove in a warm place until doubled in size - about one and a quarter hours.

* Bake at 220°C, Gas Mark 7, for 30 minutes until browned and the malt loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

* Cool the Malt Loaf on a wire rack. Whilst the loaf is still hot brush the top with honey or syrup.

It is still impossible to find a recipe for a Veda loaf, over a hundred years after it was invented. However, devotees have had good results by following the instructions for a malted fruit loaf but without the fruit or alcohol.

Although a sweet bread, Veda is often eaten toasted with butter and cheese, although many prefer to add jam or marmalade. It is usually eaten as a snack.

Veda Bakeries hold all the original recipes for Veda bread. Veda Bakeries is a company registered by law. The company is based East Lothian, and is owned by Jim Kerr of forthestuary cereals.

The formula for Veda was allegedly stumbled upon by luck when a Dundee farmer's house-keeper accidentally used damp wheat which had sprouted to produce malted wheat. When she used the malted wheat for the farmer's bread it produced a sweet-malted flavoured bread - and Veda bread was born.[1]..."

Or powder. Simply sprout some wheat berries, dry them in a low oven until brown, then grind them in a spice or coffee grinder. I used to use malt powder to help baguettes colour when baking. The only malt syrup I can find is barley malt, but if you got hold of some malted wheat flakes, you could try grinding them. Or, if you are in Ireland, buy some of the Hovis brand granary flour.

Not sure if this what you are looking for? We traveled to Ireland several times and fell in love with their brown bread. It was served at evey meal: toasted at breakfast. And fresh cut during lunch and dinner with the Irish vegetable soup, (a cream based soup). You could buy this bread in loaves in the shops but the homemade was far superior. I was fortunate to become freindly with the innkeeper at one inn we stayed in (Killlarney). She shared her own recipe with me. I was so grateful. I had to reduce the recipe and do the conversion to US measurements but I think I still have both. (Emer was her name)

I personally don't consider this a sweet bread though... so not sure if it what you mean. It is a substantive, wonderful, full bodied wheat breat/brown bread that is 'to die for' with Irish butter and Strawberry preserves...sweet as can be then!

Isn't it funny how different locales call the same product by a different name. You're in Australia right? I'm in the U S (Boston)..... I know Emer herself, called this brown bread, and my friends from Ireland, living here, in the States call the recipe I posted Brown Bread.

As for Irish Soda Bread (here in Boston or the East Coast) I have seen many contests at Irish Dance compeitions and festivals for the best Irish Soda Bread...it is white/yellow with raisens, more of a tea bread... not as hardy as brown bread. I don't care for it personally. Thought those who love it, adore it!

I knew it wan't malted bread probably shouldn't have put it in this posting, still finding my way around the forum. : )

You're right, their is a good amount of sodium 3 tablespoons (between salt and baking soda) however remember this is for 6 loaves of probably 10-12 slices each so I'm not sure how if that would still be considerd too high given the amount of loaves it makes.

No, I'm about as far from Australia as I could be - in Yorkshire, England :-) But despite my husband being born in this city, in the same hospital as me, and both of us living here all our lives, his mother was Irish and we've spent a good deal of time there, in private houses and eating at many different types of restaurants.

The recipe was for soda bread, 'brown bread' even in Ireland is yeast-leavened but made with brown flour. There's a bread mix here called 'scofa' which is soda bread. It's more like what we call wholemeal scones and you call biscuits :-)

I wonder if your Irish friends are 'American Irish' - that is having some antecedents who were native Irish but who have lived most or all of their lives in USA? I've met many Americans who claim to be Irish because their grandfather was or an aunt. Despite my husband's parentage he describes himself as a Tyke - a Yorkshireman. To narrow it further he's a Leodian.

You're right, language changes all over the world. I'm passionate about the English language yet I've been told to speak English when I've been in USA - because I couldn't be understood. Sadly, far too many words and expressions are being imported from USA and we're losing our beautiful and elegant language. Jane Austen would hardly recognise it :-(

I don't care about Na content of foods but many people do, which is why I mentioned it. We eat the saltiest butter we can find - 3% (it's probably illegal!) - but we don't use salt at the table and I don't use much in cooking simply because we want to taste the food - another of my passions.

Every day is a wonderful bonus at my age so I make sure I enjoy even the most mundane of tasks but I was nonplussed when I washed some new jeans with other items of the same colour and red dye (why is it always red?) leaked into white candle designs on a Christmas tablecloth. Ah well, nothing's perfect :-) And the poolish is bubbling away gently and keeps burping to remind me it's there. As I I could forget our daily bread!

While making dinner for tonight and peeping at the smiling poolish for some reason the word 'wheaten' came into my head. That's another name for soda bread, often used in Northern Ireland (don't know about the Republic).

Soda/wheaten bread is usually made in 'farls' - round free-form loaves to breadmakers. I suppose they were made on the hearth in the past ... they are often slashed with a cross so deeply that they will break into quarters for cutting on the plate.

Isn't it a little sad how the language is changing. I become so frustrated with my kids everday slang . You send them to the best schools and they still speak incorrectly. Geesh

Anyway check your profie I may be wrong but I thought it said you were in Australia? Possibly my mistake.

As for the Irish woman I mention, they are full blooded Irish, came to the states in their 20s or so. My daughter was an Irish dancer for 12 years (well still is, just not competitively) and these moms are as Irish as Irish can be. Married to Irishman, they all return home frequently. I'm American of Irish decent (my grandparents are from Ireland). My oldest loves it over there wants to travel abroad a year to study. She is a college freshman now.

Well I bought my buttermilk so the mystery will be solved when I try to make this bread later today or tomorrow. I'll keep you posted as to whether it is what I remember from my visits.

Yes, it's very sad that our rich language is degrading. People make the excuse that 'language evolves'. Yes it does but the ugly and meaningless words and phrases used recently are - well, ugly and meaningless :-)

There may be another Mary in Australia but I promise you that I've never been there. I don't know how to check my profile ... and I'm sorry if I confused your name too. It's so easy :-)

buttermilk is essential for real soda bread (wheaten bread) as I know it.

I found how to make entries in my profile - I think - so I have done. it was empty before just now. I hope this helps.

I am not related to any Irish so I don't know much about Irish Brown Bread. But I do know why you've been mistaken as from Australia. I checked your profile and it did say that you're from Leeds. However, you had saved Shiao Ping's (a poster from Australia) food blog for future reading and the topic of her blog was "Holiday baking at sunshine beach, Queensland, Australia". Regardless where we're are, the most important thing is that we all share the same passion. Happy baking! Al

Baking is only part of my lifelong and continuing passion for good foods iin general.

The only way to guarantee excellence in food is to make it ourselves. I just wish I had enough land to grow all our vegetables and (native) fruits. to get over that lack we grow some and buy only from trusted organic, local growers. Meat is rare breeds, organically grown with high welfare by a daughter in Wales or a local farmer. We also eat a lot of game. Eggs are produced by our own two bantams, we only eat 'chicken' if daughter culls a cockerel because commercial chicken production is an abomination. Fish is chosen with great care from trusted suppliers. I can't grow grains of course but Doves Farm and other growers, some local, supply us with what we need and everything is baked here and cooked here too. I'm gradually learning to smoke foods, a long-held ambition.

Now I have to transform that poolish into our daily bread. We do eat bread daily, at least once, but it's rarely the same bread.

There's so much variety in all foods, you simply can't get it with prepared 'ready' or 'convenience' 'foods'.

I am about to make my recipe tomorrow and tonite came upon a mix from Bob's Red Mill for Irish Soda Bread. Very interesting b/c if this mix tastes anything like the bread I"m about to make it is a lot less expensive to make with mix since you just add water. I had to buy 4qts of buttermilk at almost $12. (I am making 6 loaves) I think I'll buy a mix to tr....y and compare to what I make tomorrow. i have used Bob's Red Mill products before and been pleased.

Just received some Veda from a friend in Northern Ireland (co. Fermanagh). Veda isn't soda bread, nor is it treacle soda bread or a fruity malt loaf. It's malty, and vaguely similar to Soreen (though not fruity and a lot lighter).

The recipe is still under patent, and is a closely guarded secret. That being said, I've seen a Veda recipe online that I'd like to try when my Veda source moves back over from Norn Iron and we're stuck trying to find Veda substitutes:

Mix all the ingredients together using 200mls of the water. If it seems a little dry add a little more water just a drop at a time. It should be a softish slightly sticky doughKnead for 10 minutes by hand or five in a stand mixer with a dough hook.Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl covered with cling film Leave somewhere warm to rise for about an hour until doubled in volume.Gently pull the dough out of the bowl onto an oiled work top and dimple out with your fingers to disperse the gas.

Fold the dough over towards yourself bit by bit firming each roll with your thumbs as you go..When you have a sausage fold it into thirds like a busines letter.Turn it over and tease the sides down and under until you get a cob shape.Place this into a greased 2 lb loaf pan and squash it down until it fills the base.Place the tin inside a plastic bag and leave for 30-40 mins until it has risen again. You will know when it is ready if you very gently shake the end of it trembles a bit like a jelly.Brush gently with the glaze and bake for approx thirty minutes.The loaf will sound hollow when tapped on the underside when it is done. If not pop it back in the tin and bake for a further five minutes and check again.

TIPOil your hands and the work top when working with the dough. It stops it sticking to you and everything else

Some very interesting stuff here, and I will have to try some and test which is closest to Veda.

A few little points though:

Firstly, as Veda was invented in Scotland and popularised in Northern Ireland, and as both Scotland and Northern Ireland are British, it's hardly surprising you'd find things relating to either Scotland or Northern Ireland on a British website!

Remember - nearly a third of the island of Ireland's population live in Northern Ireland (a sixth of the landmass), in the United Kingdom. :)

Secondly, Veda bread is not Soda bread, as someone has already pointed out. Soda farls are light in colour, in any case.

Thirdly, Veda bread is not wheaten bread, either.

Soda farls and wheaten farls (or just wheaten bread) are two of the breads used in an Ulster Fry. The third type of bread is potato bread. Add a fried egg, sausages and bacon, and you have all the essential ingredients of the Ulster Fry! Although all the ingredients are traditionally fried, these days a more health-conscious public tend to grill everything but the egg.

However, none of those breads are Veda bread, which can be sliced and buttered as it is, or toasted, covered in butter and a slice or two of cheese.

All original site content copyright 2015 The Fresh Loaf unless stated otherwise. Content posted by community members is their own. The Fresh Loaf is not responsible for community member content. If you see anything inappropriate on the site or have any questions, contact me at floydm at thefreshloaf dot com. This site is powered by Drupal and Mollom.